


Looking Forward

by sirthatsmyemotionalsupportfandom



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Hop and Marnie are both babies, I found this in the depths of my Google Drive and thought it was decent enough to upload, Short One Shot, friendship yay, written as an implied romance but can be interpreted as platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirthatsmyemotionalsupportfandom/pseuds/sirthatsmyemotionalsupportfandom
Summary: When Marnie's loss to Gloria at the League hits her unexpectedly hard, one of her fellow Gym Challengers is there to relate.Short little oneshot, with hints of Marnie/Hop
Relationships: Hop/Mary | Marnie
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	Looking Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Here's something I wrote a while ago that I reread and ended up really liking. Marnie and Hop is SUCH an underrated ship in the fandom, and that's a shame because I think they'd have the sweetest friendship.  
> Anyways, enjoy the fic!

Marnie absentmindedly traced her finger around the rim of her cup, staring into the hot chocolate inside. Morpeko sat beside her, nibbling on its food silently. Other than the two of them -- and the unlucky person behind the counter -- the bakery was empty; everyone else was out watching the qualification match, no doubt. The battle was being streamed on the TV hanging above the pastry case, but Marnie was tuning it out. She had too much on her mind.

To think that she’d worked so hard to get here -- all those hours upon hours of training and careful strategy had simply led to a loss to the very trainer she could never seem to beat. Of course, Marnie had always taken the possibility that she would lose into account, but now that she was finally here . . . It seemed too real. Too unfair.

Marnie was never one to mope. It was silly to waste time pitying yourself when you could be moving forward. At least, that was what she’d always thought. Despite this, she felt a creeping sense of loss in her stomach, a dreadful uncertainty of what she would do next. She’d been working towards this for years, and now it had screeched to a halt, just like that. Where was her life headed now?

On the table in front of her, someone placed their hand down, shattering her thoughts like glass. Shaking out from her reverie, she looked up at the newcomer. To her surprise, it was Hop, one of the other challengers still in his Gym Challenge uniform. He smiled at her.

“Hey, Marnie, Morpeko. Mind if I join you?”

Looking up at him, Marnie considered whether she  _ did  _ mind or not. She certainly wasn’t in the best mindset at the moment, but maybe a distraction would do her some good. Quietly, she nodded, and the boy plopped down across from her.

Marnie had never known much about Hop. She had spoken to the violet-haired boy once or twice, but she interacted and talked with his friend and rival Gloria for the most part, not him. She knew he was the champion's younger brother, and was determined to take his place. He had always seemed energetic and cheerful -- frankly, the kind of person she found kind of tiring. But she hadn’t spent enough time around him to make a fair judgement.

“I didn’t even know the match was over,” she commented, just now noticing the dull buzz of people outside the bakery, all streaming out of the stadium for snacks and bathroom breaks. “Did you win?”

Hop nodded, stretching. “It was a close one though. I get a few minutes before I have to get ready for my match with Gloria.” He tilted his head towards the TV. “Weren’t you watching?”

Marnie leaned over to scratch Morpeko’s ears. “I guess I kinda got caught up in my own thing.”

“Ah.” Hop seemed to understand. “Loss getting to you, then?”

She shrugged. “Not really. I mean, it is, but I just feel weird. Not sad.”

“Hey, I get it,” he replied emphatically, rubbing the back of his head. “Gloria’s crazy strong. But you still did some brilliant fighting out there. Definitely gave her a run for her money.”

“Thanks,” Marnie murmured, unsure how to reply to the compliment. Usually her little “following” Piers had set up for her showered her with constant praises, but it felt different coming from someone else.

As if reading her mind, Hop spoke. “Hey, speaking of your match, where’s that little group of yours? They probably have congratulations in order, too.”

Leaning back, she rolled her eyes. “No clue. They’re probably off plannin’ some sort of ‘at least you tried’ party with my brother.”

Hop laughed, such a loud laugh that it made Marnie blush even though nobody else was in the bakery. “Ah, your brother’s not so bad a chap. Setting up a whole cheerleading squad for you’s pretty sweet. Certainly nothing Lee’s ever done for me.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Marnie fidgeted with her jacket. “I’ve always been curious about what it’d be like to have the Champion for a brother. Aren’t you in his shadow all the time?”

The smile on Hop’s face faded a little bit. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Then his face lit back up again. “But it’s not all that bad! Lee’s a great brother, and he always does his best to make time for me.”

Silence fell upon both of them, and Marnie looked down at her drink uncomfortably. She wasn’t as socially apt as she wished she was. Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Hop laughed again.

“Not the chattiest one, are you?” he commented, grinning.

“'M sorry,” Marnie murmured, cheeks flaring up. “I don’t make small talk with people that often. Frankly, I'm not sure what to say next.”

“Ah, nonsense!” He waved his hand. “All you need is practice. Just think of something you wanna ask me.” He propped his chin on his hands. “I’m all ears.”

“Oh, all right.” Marnie couldn’t help but smile a bit at the guy’s incessant cheeriness. She racked her brain for something --  _ anything _ interesting they could possibly talk about. “What’s your strategy for your next battle?”

“Ooh, good one.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. I think I’m just gonna get out there and do my best.”

“That’s rather cliche,” Marnie retorted bluntly, sounding harsher than she meant to. Hop, luckily, seemed unaffected.

“Yeah, but that’s the plan,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

Marnie’s previous battle with Gloria flashed through her mind. “Do you think you can beat her?” she asked, her soft voice growing serious again.

A troubled look flickered in the boy’s amber eyes, and he laughed softly -- a different laugh than the one she’d been hearing earlier. “Honestly? I don’t know. I have yet to beat her at all. It’d be incredible if I could pull it off, but can I? That’s the question.” His smile disappeared. “I’ve always dreamed of this moment, and now it seems so big and scary.”

This was a different Hop than what Marnie had seen during the Gym Challenge. She didn’t know such an upbeat guy could feel so insecure. But it passed as quickly as it had come. Shaking his head, Hop smiled again. “Sorry -- I didn’t mean to talk your ears off.” Reluctantly, he stood up. “Well, I’m off to get ready, I guess.”

Marnie nodded, surprised at how the time had flown. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. Nice talking to you,” he beamed, then tilted his head questioningly. “Watch my battle this time?”

“I will,” she decided, also standing up. “I think Morpeko and I’ll go watch out in the stadium.”

“Atta girl,” he praised, punching her lightly in the shoulder. Then, a look of embarrassment flickered across his face at the action. “Hey, uh -- Marnie. Maybe we could -- you know, come back here sometime.”

Marnie’s eyes flashed up at him in surprise. “Oh?”

Hop’s demeanor had done a complete 180, and his eyes were suddenly glued to the tile floor. “I mean I -- I didn’t have time to order anything! And maybe we could talk about . . . brothers, or something.”

Marnie had never been asked to lunch before, so, understandably, she had no idea how to respond. “Oh, um --” she stammered, trying to get a grasp on the situation. She and Hop barely knew each other -- but maybe that was why he was asking in the first place? He was certainly less tiring than she’d imagined him to be, and she felt a little bit disappointed that their conversation was ending. Morpeko still sat down in front of its empty plate, looking bored. Hop was standing there, looking like he wanted to disappear, and Marnie realized she had been silent for a long time. “Uh --” she stumbled over her words again. “Sure. Sure, I’d like that.”

The boy looked like the weight of the world had come off his shoulders. “Oh, great. Brilliant.” He looked at his watch anxiously. “Listen, I’m so sorry, I have to go. I’ll meet up with you after the match and give you my number, all right?” Turning around, he began running for the locker rooms. “Promise! I’ll find you!”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving a very confused but slightly warm-faced Marnie behind.

"Strange guy, huh?" she commented to Morpeko, who looked rather indifferent. She scooped the small Pokemon into her arms and strode out of the cafe. "Well, we should get out there. No use mopin' around here by ourselves, huh?" And though her loss was still lurking in the back of her mind, her thoughts were focused forward now. She'd figure out what was next eventually, but first she had a lunch to look forward to.


End file.
